"Zhao Lifei's wealth, has without a doubt, accumulated throughout the years. On her eighteenth birthday, as a special gift for her, the old fool Zhao had given her a favorable amount of shares within Zhao Corporation." Yang Mujian began the plan.
"You will secure it by marrying her."
Yang Feng's face did not change. It remained cunning and fraudulent, everything that a man willing to scam his lover was supposed to be. He was glad his grandfather was getting old and his brain was deteriorating with each passing year.
Marriage was exactly what Yang Feng sought after. But he and his grandfather shared two polar reasonings for it.
"You will have my blessings." Yang Mujian leaned his chin on his arm, a fond smile on his face. To join families with the Zhaos and merging the fortune of a wealthy heiress would be killing two birds with one stone.
"It is up to you to decide how to convince your parents. Your father is quite fond of Su Meixiu."
"That can be easily changed." Yang Feng chuckled low. He stood up to his full-height, nodded his head and excused himself. "Have a good day, grandfather."
Yang Mujian hummed in reply, his smile slipping the second the door closed. He turned to face the window, arms tucked, a shadow passing over his face as the sun was covered by a cloud.
He heard something outside and went to investigate it. As he left the room, a person dressed in a worker's outfit slipped inside.
- - - - -
The present.
Zhao Lifei was numb. She was at a loss for words, her mind going blank. The phone slipped from her hand, roughly thumping onto the bed. The chirping of the birds outside was beginning to sound like they were mocking her, the sunlight too bright for her eyes. This room, practically the size of her apartment, felt cramped. It was stuffy. She did not like the atmosphere here.
She was so pained by what she had heard, her heart no longer registered the agony spreading through her chest. She wanted to cry, to scream, and break everything in her sight but was too mentally exhausted to do so.
"Do you love Zhao Lifei?"
"Never."
"Do you love Zhao Lifei?"
"Never."
The conversation played in her head like a broken record.
"Why bother staying with her?"
"She will benefit our family."
Zhao Lifei climbed out of the bed and in her daze, she felt her hand brush against something. The next thing she knew, she had violently jerked her arms.
CRASH!
The glass lamp beside the nightstand clattered onto the floor. It broke into pieces, the colorful and jagged shards littered the floor. It caught the sunlight and soon, the floor glistened, shimmering with brilliant rainbow hues that Tiffany lamps were known for.
In her daze, Zhao Lifei reached for a shard just as a rough knock could be heard, followed by another urgent knock.
"Madam? Is everything all right in there?!"
Zhao Lifei ignored the frantic voice. The stained glass was beautiful, the light beckoning her forward. She touched it, blinking when her finger was suddenly pricked by the piece, blood dripping from her fingers. Why did beautiful things have to be so painful when touched?
"Madam? Are you alright?"
The housekeeper tried to open the door, but to no avail, as it was locked. The Young Master always valued his privacy. There was no master key in this house.
"Please answer me!" She desperately shouted, pounding upon the door. She chewed on her fingers, her brows drawing together in fear that something might have happened in there. She debated calling the Old Butler forward to notify the Young Master that something had occurred. Just as she was about to run down the halls, a dreary voice could be heard.
"I'm fine."
"A-are you sure…?"
"Yes, I apologize." The sound of the doors being unlocked could be heard. Zhao Lifei opened the door a bit, to reveal her face and half of her body. She made sure her bleeding finger and the bedroom was out of the housekeeper's line of sight.
She wore an apologetic smile, "I dropped my makeup bag so the products fell out. I'm sorry if it caused too much of a disturbance."
The housekeeper relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. "If that is the case, would you like me to send a maid up to clean the mess?"
"Oh no, that's alright. I was already in the process of cleaning up."
"You shouldn't get your hands dirty, the Young Master will have a fit if he hears of this."
Zhao Lifei remained firm, her smile becoming a bit forced now. The blood was trickling down the white shirt and if she did not do something, it will drip onto the floor.
"A grown woman should know how to clean up after herself. Do not worry, I can handle it." Zhao Lifei paused, "Would you mind bringing a broom and a trash bag please?"
"Of course." The housekeeper found it peculiar that such a wealthy heiress behaved like this, but she did not dwell on her suspicions anymore. She was pleasantly surprised to see that she was so well behaved and willing to clean up the house, unlike most snobby socialites.
She bowed and excused herself.
Zhao Lifei walked to the bathroom, washed off the blood, ignoring the painful stinging as it was no match for the brutal pain in her heart. She dug through the cupboards in search of a first aid kit and bandaged her finger up.
She messaged Li Xuan to send a private chauffeur to Yang Feng's house. Less than a minute later, he said the car was on its way.
She tied up her hair, took a shower, and grabbed the clothes from the walk-in closet and placed them on.
A light knock sounded throughout the room, followed by, "Madam, the supplies you've requested are ready."
Zhao Lifei replied, "Leave it outside. I'll fetch it in a few moments."
The maid bowed even though she knew the Lady Boss would not be able to see her. "Alright, it will be placed right beside the door. If there is anything else, you're welcome to ring the bell." She walked off to complete the rest of today's chores.
Zhao Lifei opened the door, took the supplies and went to work. She meticulously cleaned up the glass shards to ensure none of the pieces were left behind. She dumped it in the trash bag, placed it by the door and went into Yang Feng's closet.
Just recently, he had ordered for an entire wardrobe to be installed in there and for it to be filled with every piece of clothing that a woman would need. Some of her personal belongings were also moved into there. She took the ones that she bought with her own money, placed it inside the biggest purse she could find and picked up the trash bag.
She was not in the right state of mind to think properly. Wordlessly, she walked out of the room, never once looking back, and went downstairs.
"Madam, where are you going so early in the morning? You've yet to have breakfast." The housekeeper hurriedly chased after her.
"I'm on my way to have brunch with a friend." Zhao Lifei easily lied with a smile on her face.
"If I may ask, who is it?"
Zhao Lifei felt this housekeeper was asking too many questions, but still replied, "Yang Ruqin."
"Oh, if that's the case, let me help you get rid of the trash bag." The housekeeper reached for the black bag but Zhao Lifei shifted her body a bit.
"It's fine, I can throw it out. Thank you though." Without waiting for a response, Zhao Lifei opened the front entrance where the chauffeur ordered by Li Xuan was already waiting. Upon seeing her, a man stepped out and opened the door for Zhao Lifei.
She wordlessly got in, placed the trash bag on the seat and gave a location two cities over.